Maryland Update - “The Chairman Did What He Was Told”

March 4, 2011 at 6:04 pm

So an update on Maryland:

They needed twelve votes to pass the gay marriage bill out of committee. Del. Sam Arora (D.-Silver Spring) who favored gay marriage before he opposed gay marriage, folded under pressure and said he was going to vote for gay marriage “in order to get it to the people.”

Sorry Sam, you didn’t vote to refer it to the people, you voted for gay marriage.

They needed twelve votes to get gay marriage out of committee and so in the end the Chairman of the Committee Joseph Vallario (D-Prince George) who opposes gay marriage, voted “yes.”

Del. Michael D. Smigiel Sr. (R-Cecil) said he was not surprised.

"The chairman did what he was told," Smigiel said. "That's why he's chairman." (source)

Next stop: a vote on the House floor.

It’s not clear they have the votes. It’s pretty clear to me, after the outpouring of public opposition, especially from the black church, that if they pass this bill, the people of Maryland will veto it.